A study of counsellor functions in Newfoundland and Labrador

Purcell, Ralph G. (1987) A study of counsellor functions in Newfoundland and Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (118MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of congruence between actual and preferred counselling functions as perceived by school counsellors in Newfoundland and Labrador and its relationship to: counsellors' perceived role determining influence, counsellors' self assessed competency, and characteristics of the counsellors' work setting. Concern has been expressed by counsellors and educators who perceive a dissonance between what counsellors actually do in their existing work settings and what they would prefer to do. Some understanding of this situation in Newfoundland and Labrador was sought through this study. -- A questionnaire was constructed to obtain the necessary data for the study. In Part A of the four part questionnaire, data was sought on personal and professional information and on work setting characteristics. Part B presented a list of 18 randomly distributed counsellor functions and descriptions for each. Then, in each of two subsections (actual functions and preferred functions), counsellors were requested to indicate their choice of functions and to rate the importance of each chosen function, actual and preferred. Part C requested counsellors to select one of five statements which best represented their role determining influence in their work settings. Finally, in Part D, counsellors were asked to report their perceived proficiency for the competency described in each of 152 competency statements. Ninety-four counsellors returned the questionnaires, a 95% response rate. -- The key findings are: there are fewer counsellors than recommended by counsellor associations; the educational level where counsellors work is related to what functions counsellors regard as important; there is a fairly high level of congruence for half of the functions when counsellors' choice of actual and preferred functions are compared, there being varying and lower levels of congruence for the remaining functions; counsellors report a high level of influence in defining their roles; counsellors have assessed themselves in the mid-range of competency level; there is a complex inter-relationship between counsellor competency and the functions they perform; a weak association exists between work setting characteristics and counsellors functions. Overall, despite some obvious dissonance, there is a moderate level of congruence between what counsellors actually do and what they prefer to do.

Actions (login required)

View Item